


Fortune

by obstinateRixatrix



Series: Flip of the Coin [2]
Category: Dangan Ronpa
Genre: Gen, skillswap au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-24
Updated: 2014-07-03
Packaged: 2018-02-06 01:02:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1838677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obstinateRixatrix/pseuds/obstinateRixatrix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which the Super High School Clairvoyant already knows the Super High School Level Gambler.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Page 1:
> 
> Name: Mondo Oowada  
> Height: 187 cm  
> Weight: 76 kg  
> Chest: 86 cm
> 
> Special Ability: Super High School Level Gambler

Ishimaru has never been able to make friends the traditional way; no matter what, his interactions with other people are directed by how much he already knows about them. Sure, he makes it a point to study the names of all his classmates, but there’s also the fact that while he’s never had a conversation with Leon Kuwata, Ishimaru knows which day the swimmer will skip practice to flirt with the local florist ( _Tuesday_ ), the exact time he’ll find himself 100 yen short for the vending machine ( _3:17 PM_ ), what kind of dog he’ll pass on the way home ( _Kishu_ ) – inane details of his life becomes innate knowledge to Ishimaru, a persistent awareness that constantly prods at his conscious.

It’s troublesome, honestly, being so familiar to complete strangers. He’s learned the hard way people don’t take kindly to such a one-sided familiarity, and so he keeps to himself, for the most part.

Not that he’s completely friendless! He enjoys interactions with Asahina who ( _is worked to exhaustion is harassed by the press is told how much thinner cuter nicer she absolutely has to be if she doesn’t want to become obsolete_ ) puts forth an admirable effort in whatever she sets out to accomplish. And while he’s not terribly close to Oogami, he enjoys her stable presence, her dedication to her role as the moral authority of the school.

(It’s much easier to think when he’s with her; the steady thrum of _6:27 train 7:53 train 8:34 train_ is almost soothing compared to the chaotic schedules of the surrounding students)

There are times when it’s more than a useless distraction, times where he’s able to be at the right place, do the right thing, and for that he’s grateful for this ability. Being prepared to tell Asahina how to avoid the invasive paparazzi loitering outside the school gates, being prepared for the delinquent that attempts to drag Naegi off to who-knows-where, being prepared for when Fujisaki will be absent and in need of that day’s worksheets… he’s adapted, though it still catches him by surprise every so often.

Such is the case with Mondo Oowada.

Ishimaru doesn’t know when it starts, but he remembers a peripheral awareness of the gambler’s many victories. It’s as fixed as Oogami’s schedule, lingering in the back of his mind (whenever Oowada bothers to attend school, that is). He doesn’t think himself as all too invested but there’s one day Oowada comes in, fidgeting more than usual, and there’s a double hit of _12:30 confession_ and _12:30 rejection_ intermingled within the usual agenda. Ishimaru blinks, feeling a twinge of empathy. While he isn’t familiar with romantic rejection (or romance at all, really) he understands that it takes a lot of courage to express the desire for a relationship. As unavoidable as it is, it’s unfortunate when feelings are unrequited. He overhears later from some gossiping students how… loud the confession was, and is struck by how straightforward someone who deceives for a living can be.

After that, Ishimaru just starts to notice things about Oowada. Of course, he disapproves of the dubious legality surrounding the gambler’s activities, but at the same time, Oowada’s surprisingly honest. He does not ( _will not_ ) cheat once, protecting his flawless victory streak with borderline suicidal tenacity, an indestructible façade of confidence, and of course, an incredible amount of luck. He rarely deals with money, instead wagering favors, information, and during one nerve-wracking game, organs. He doesn’t tolerate the mistreatment of any woman in his presence. Mondo Oowada, despite his appearance, is a good man.

Not that Ishimaru does anything with this insight. It changes nothing to know the intimate details of Oowada’s character. The distance between them won’t change.

At least, that’s what he thinks. Imagine his surprise when, while he’s outlining his schedule for the day, he gets a flash of _3:01 meeting with Oowada_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Page 2:
> 
> There ain't no game I can't turn around! I'm  
> the invincible Mondo Oowada, and whatever  
> the odds are I'll beat them fair and square!


	2. Chapter 2

Oddly enough, lunchtime conversations with Oowada become a regular occurrence. The gambler goes out of his way to seek Ishimaru out, flooding him with questions about the intricacies of his ability. It’s an unfamiliar situation, but not an unwelcome one. While such curiosity would be better suited for the classroom, it’s… kind of nice to find someone less concerned about what will happen and more interested in why it happens. And besides, an inquisitive spirit is an important part of being a student! As a fellow peer, it’s his duty to do everything in his power to cultivate this type of attitude, right? Right.

But then the inquiries take a less academic turn, and Ishimaru finds himself talking about a variety of topics, from his breakfast of choice (he is disproportionately pleased when they agree that a traditional Japanese meal is best) to his favorite subject (history! It is absolutely vital to know the foundations of current issues plaguing the nation). Oowada, in turn, offers his opinions on whatever’s being discussed (with a steadily declining amount of curse words), and occasionally allows himself to be dragged off to the library for a homework session. Not often, and not without protest, but it does happens. Did happen. Once.

Ishimaru’s attempting to replicate that incident (without much success) when an upperclassman stops by, evidently recognizing Oowada. Glancing at the clock (3:12), Ishimaru realizes this must be Teruteru Hanamura. The newcomer almost drops his books, managing to reach their table in the nick of time (and surprisingly enough Ishimaru doesn’t recognize most of them, though he thinks he catches a glimpse of Celes’ art). Their senpai greets Oowada with an enthusiasm that isn’t quite reciprocated, and extends sympathy for his… ten strikes? Apparently they understand each other because Oowada sighs something about getting too nervous around girls and shouting too much, and Hanamura nods compassionately. 

The problem starts when he starts talking about the girls in his class.                                                                       

The first few words are pretty much the audio equivalent of a train crash; the underclassmen are too shocked to do anything, initially. Ishimaru is, to put it lightly, apprehensive of the direction the discussion takes. “It’s not a proper topic of conversation,” he insists several times, only to be brushed off completely. Hanamura charges ahead undeterred and completely oblivious to everyone’s increasing ire. 

“But there’s quite the selection in your class too, isn’t there? Enoshima-san looks…” 

And then Ishimaru gets an idea.

“How unfortunate,” he says out loud, effectively derailing that train of thought.

“…Huh?”

Shaking his head sympathetically, he continues with a somber “well, you’ll recover in time, Hanamura-senpai.”

The Hanamura in question jolts a bit. “How did you..?”

“Kid’s psychic,” Oowada cuts in. “Knows the future. Probably knew you were gonna stop by before you did.”

Hanamura lets out a shaky laugh, abruptly pulling out a comb to run through his hair. “There’s no way I could believe something like that… you’ve probably heard my name from somewhere, right?”

“Feel free to look him up. Pretty sure they have records of all the classes in the library, though you’re better off askin’ this nerd over here.” He gestures carelessly towards Ishimaru, who nods and points toward the general area of where the 78th class roster of Hope’s Peak is shelved. “His accuracy’s a hundred percent, by the way.”

“T-that’s impossible!”

“What, you think this school wastes time on anything less?” The more Oowada talks, spinning intricately mundane anecdotes into mysticisms and the occult, the more pallid Hanamura becomes until he excuses himself on unsteady legs, almost white as a sheet. The second he’s out of sight, Oowada leans over towards Ishimaru. “So, does anything happen to him?”

“Seven thirteen. Stubbed toe. It’s very painful, I assure you.”

He stares incredulously for a second before dissolving into helpless laughter. “I underestimated you, Eyebrows,” he wheezes, wiping a tear from his eye. Ishimaru tries to remind him that this is a library, Oowada-san, please lower your voice, but for some reason that just makes him laugh harder.

(Afterwards, Ishimaru suggests going to Asahina for help. After all, she shows an abundance of enthusiasm whenever approached with the subject of vocal training. The problem is related to vocal training, in a way, isn’t it? It could probably be solved with vocal training.

He is incredibly confused when Oowada insists that “no, it doesn’t work like that.”

Oowada pats him firmly on the shoulder and tells him not to worry about it.)  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Page 3:  
> Whenever I get tense or nervous, I kinda...  
> start shouting. So asking girls out is kind  
> of a problem. Right now I'm in the middle  
> of a ten-game losing streak...
> 
>  
> 
> Since I already broke the trend in the other chapter, I guess I'll just leave notes here too? Man, not leaving notes is like... physically painful for me...
> 
> So hi! This fic is based of a [conversation](http://fukizoku.tumblr.com/post/58987993240/obstinaterixatrix-i-really-love-the-idea-of) I had with a friend, like, years ago, and I just finished the DR localization, so... here I am... again... man, I forgot how hard writing in third person was...
> 
> It's probably gonna be low key interaction junk because dang yo that's my jam, but hopefully some of you dig that? Yeah.
> 
> Originally Teruteru was going to be Souda because out of EVERYONE he'd be the most likely clueless idiot to pull that, but 1) Souda's too much of a weenie to even look at Mondo and 2) Teruteru's a bit more skeevy. Still kinda debating with myself whether I should've just made it random scapegoat oc, or something, but after staying up all night to write this I think I'm willing to just let it be.


	3. Chapter 3

On a good day, Ishimaru barely notices his ability at work. It’s a simple matter to regulate it all to the background, on the same level as the hum of the lights or the rustle of paper around him. He can easily focus on what’s happening without being distracted by what will happen.

Today is not a good day.

He tries, he really does, to power through it, but even a glance at the teacher sends his mind into chaos, and being surrounded by thirteen other people certainly doesn’t help. His head is pounding, dizzy with the deafening onslaught of dates and times, not _physically_ deafening but _mentally_ deafening, and even as he stares resolutely at the notebook in front of him he can feel the pressure of what happens an hour from now, a week from now, a month from now, minute-by-minute leaps too quick for any concrete events but still an abstract certainty that increases almost exponentially, and then Enoshima drops a pencil and he just catches a glimpse of her hand and he’s suddenly flooded by homeruns, scoreboards, leather gloves and metal stands and it feels like someone’s taking a baseball bat to his _head_ –

He closes his eyes and takes the best notes he can.

 

* * *

 

 

When he opens his eyes, he finds his notes are… disorganized, to say the least. Still, he did the best he could. He’ll just have to ask someone else for their notes! Naegi’s usually available during lunch, if approached early enough. However, the second Ishimaru looks up there’s an immediate rush of nausea because _of course_ Kirigiri’s new book comes out today and _of course_ a bunch of people gather _right in front of him_ to pester her about it, and, _of course_ , Naegi’s in that group. Of course.

Just as he feels he might throw up, Oogami steps into his field of view, her form eclipsing those of his classmates, and there’s an almost instant relief.

“Come with me.”

It’s a bit more abrupt than she usually is, but he follows her absently, trying to avoid looking at anyone else. Which is why he doesn’t realize where she’s leading him until they’re standing in front of the nurse’s office.

“Oogami-san,” he protests, “I appreciate your concern, but I’m perfectly healthy!”

“You’re pushing yourself too hard. You should rest.”

“It’s unnecessary! It would be better to leave the infirmary available to students who are actually-“

“Eyebrows? What’re you doin’ out here?”

Of _course_ Mondo would choose _this exact moment to show up_.

Oogami manages to catch his arm just as he topples over, and Oowada fumbles with the box he’s holding to grab at his other side.

“The fuhhhhhheck dude!? Hall monitor, what’s goin’ on?”

“Ishimaru is feeling unwell,” she explains. “It would be better for him to lie down for now.”

“This is nothing, I’m fine!”

“Wh-! Like hell you are!”

“My temperature is normal!”

“Oh, so fainting’s just something you do all the time? Well _excuse me_ , I didn’t realize you were a-”

Oogami clears her throat, putting an immediate end to the bickering. “Oowada,” she says, and he instinctively stands at attention. “I must inform the teacher of Ishimaru’s condition. In the meantime, make sure he gets some rest.”

Before Ishimaru can raise any more objections, Oowada agrees and practically drags him into the infirmary despite the fact that he can walk perfectly fine without assistance. Or, he could, right up until the school nurse walks up to them followed closely by a student assistant. He keeps his eyes closed as Oowada explains the situation, letting himself be guided to an open bed. He can hear the sound of curtains being drawn, though it seems to stop before it should.

“Uh. Should I wait outside? Don’t wanna make you barf or anything.”

“It’s fine.” This is really not something he wants to talk about right now. “You shouldn’t skip school, Oowada-san.”

The curtains are drawn the rest of the way with a bit more force than necessary. “Lay off. I’m here now, aren’t I?”

“Did something happen?” Ishimaru risks a glance at him. While everything’s still kind of a scattered painful mess, he doesn’t notice anything out of the ordinary like _beaten to death by guys from this morning_.

“Well, kind of,” he hedges, sounding a bit… surprised? “Listen, animals aren’t gonna set you off, right?”

“What? No, animals don’t have the same effect as people. Why?”

In response, he reaches into the mystery box he’s been holding the entire time and drops a puppy onto Ishimaru’s lap. “Her name’s Chuck,” he says with authority, daring any challenge his name of choice. “Found her on the way to school.”

“Oowada-san! Animals are not allowed on school property,” Ishimaru chides, but it probably isn’t terribly effective since there is a sleepy puppy on his lap oh gosh her little tail’s wagging s _he’s so happy_. “I hope you’re not planning on keeping her in your room!” No matter how great it would be. Don’t think about how great it would be.

“It’s fine, I met up with the animal breeder. He’s a weird guy, but dude knows his stuff. He’s got someone set up for her.”

Ishimaru stops fussing over Chuck, trying not to look too disappointed. “Already?”

“Yeah. Couldn’t really understand a lot of the bullshit that came out of his mouth, but apparently he’s got something set up on his blog.”

“Is that safe? After all, we need to make sure Chuck goes to someone with good morals! What if-“

“Trust me, this guy’s… intense about animals.” There’s something in his tone that makes Ishimaru drop the issue. “’Sides, we can check in on her now and then.”

“I see! That’s a relief.” Chuck lets out a little whine until Ishimaru resumes petting her. “It’s a shame she can’t stay…”

“What, you actually thinkin’ of breaking the rules?” Oowada laughs over Ishimaru’s ardent denials, and while he doesn’t lose his grin, he there’s almost a melancholic edge to it. “My brother helped me with the last dog we had. I’m not sure I’m cut out for taking care of one on my own.”

Well, that just won’t do. “Any dog would be fortunate to have you as an owner. Have more faith in yourself! Although, if you’re that concerned,” he adds, noting Oowada’s skeptical expression, “I’ll be your brother!”

“You what.”

“Obviously this only applies when you’re living somewhere that allows dogs, Oowada-san, but I’ll make sure you take proper care of however many dogs you have. I’ll visit every day if I have to!” There’s a quiet bark from Chuck, which Ishimaru chooses to interpret as approval.

“Yeah? I’ll hold you to that. One condition, though – If we’re gonna be brothers, you’re gonna have to stop being so fuckin’ formal all the time.”

“Understood, Oowada-kun! Though you could have gotten the point across without profanity.”

He rolls his eyes, letting out a huff of fond exasperation. “You know what, good enough. I’m gonna drop Chuck off now, so take a nap, got it? If I see you in class I’m gonna punch you in the face.”

“That’s unnecessarily violent!”

“Trust me, it’s what brothers do.” With a jaunty wave, Oowada takes off with a box full of Chuck, and Ishimaru is pretty sure the gambler will follow through with his casual threat.

Having a brother sounds a lot more painful than Ishimaru was originally prepared for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Page 4:
> 
> I'm totally a dog person, ya know. I used  
> to have one, but without my brother to  
> help me out, I'm not sure I...
> 
>  
> 
> To be honest it's a lot harder for me to skillswap the SDR2 cast so I'm not really gonna bother. Though one of the cameos is barely that, really.
> 
> The reason I'm so interested in Clairvoyant!Ishimaru is because how he sees other people is completely different, y'know? While canon Ishimaru sees himself as an average person, that's not really an option for this Ishimaru. On the other hand, canon Ishimaru has a few issues when it comes to actually empathizing with people without being explicitly told of reasons and explanations and all that jazz, while this Ishimaru connects with people a lot easier since he gets a sense of the effort they exert without needing the result to back it up. Even if he knows his classmate got a failing grade, he'd be able to get a flash of something like '7:42 - sob hysterically about school' or something. I feel like he'd be on slightly better terms with people. He tutors people who seem anxious and while he doesn't really befriend any of them they think he's alright, maybe. Not someone they'd want to hang out with but definitely someone they'd help out. Even then, he's still pretty isolated. That's my take, at least. Not sure how well I'm gettin' that across.


End file.
